My little blog about growing little people, and a little food, in the city.

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

I may regret this . . .

I may regret this, and it's certainly off topic for this blog, but with all the broohaha over gay marriage/civil unions both locally and nationally, and with all of the Facebook updates I see from my friends on both sides of the issue, I just feel like I need to voice my opinion on the issue somewhere.

And I'm probably going to upset everyone of you.

Here's the thing. I believe the Catholic Church's teachings on marriage and sexuality. I believe that sex is perhaps God's most powerful gift to us. Through this intimate act of love we can join with God and actually be a part of the creation of an immortal soul. That's mind blowing really. What else can you do that results in the creation of something that will last for all of eternity? Because of the power of this act, God has asked us to observe guidelines regarding it's use. There's tons of stuff on the internet about this, if you care to read more, but I'm not here to convince you. I really don't care whether you agree with me or the Church. You're not going to change my mind, and I'm not trying to change yours.

Okay, so I take the very unpopular view that engaging in homosexual acts is a sin. Mind you I also believe that contraception and co-habiting are sins. Lots of things are sins. I commit sins every day. I don't think there's anything special about your sins or my sins. We're all sinners. All sin is bad. Again, unpopular views, but I'm just saying what I believe in case anyone cares. Which you probably don't. Which is fine.

But here's the thing. I really, really don't understand why my fellow Catholics are all up in a tizzy about the legal status of "gay marriage." I keep getting emails and Facebook messages about the armageddon-esque horrors about to be inflicted on our state because of the civil unions bill. Because the thing is, the state doesn't define marriage. God does. I'm not married because I have a piece of paper from the state of Colorado. I'm married because I took vows in front of God pledging to stand by my man 'til death do us part. Frankly, I'm annoyed that the Church required us to get a marriage license from the state. Because the state has nothing to do with making us married.

When we bought our house, there was some confusion in the paperwork because the woman we were buying it from was married to a man who was not yet legally divorced from his previous wife. But he'd presented a "get" to his former wife which, according to Jewish law, ended the marriage and made them each free to remarry. I truly admired that this couple placed God's law above man's law in their affairs.

I don't see what harm it causes if two adults receive the benefits available to married couples. There are laws that allow non-married heterosexual couples living "in sin" to receive these benefits and I don't see my fellow Catholics up in arms over this horrible celebration of sin. And if the state suddenly recognizes gay marriage, it doesn't make those marriages any more valid than they currently are.

I'm truly embarrassed by all of the hysteria over the "homosexual agenda." It seems to me if half of this energy was put into something really important - like finding ways to prevent the slaughter of unborn children - we'd all be a lot better off.

3 comments:

I appreciate reading your thoughts. I of course don't agree that homosexuality is a sin, but I do agree that if "sin" is going to be the basis for determining the law, we need to put a LOT more laws in place. I believe that either all people should receive marriage rights equally, or marriage as a civil institution should be abolished and everyone can live with whomever they please, call it whatever they want, and have a religious ceremony be a part of it if they so choose. Or have a secular ceremony, or no ceremony at all. And I have to say it in regards to that last sentence...contraception. ;-) At least for all those who don't believe it's a sin. That combined with comprehensive sex education.

"I believe that either all people should receive marriage rights equally, or marriage as a civil institution should be abolished and everyone can live with whomever they please, call it whatever they want, and have a religious ceremony be a part of it if they so choose. Or have a secular ceremony, or no ceremony at all. "

The only caveat I would add is a protection for religious liberty, which I believe is at the heart of the USCCB's objection to civil union legislation. As long as we are able to proclaim our moral objections to homosexuality and our faith is not required to sanctify same sex marriage, I have zero objection to two consenting adults defining their relationship in the public sphere.

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About Me

Welcome to my little house in the city! I have dedicated my life to the education of young children. In it's current form, that means I am a homeschooling mother. In past iterations it has meant working as an early childhood special ed teacher, a Montessori teaching assistant, and an analyst of early childhood education policy.
My current job is by far my favorite, and I often joke that I got a master's degree (in early childhood education) to be a mom. I have a passion for sharing my knowledge and experience with other parents and have learned that it's a heck of a lot easier to tell others how to parent than to parent my own children. So I blog.